Starting and landing device fob airships of the lighter than air type



May 26, 1931. GRAMPP 1,806,939 STARTING AND LANDING DEVICE FOR AIRSHIPS OF THE LIGHTER-THAN-AIR TYPE Filed Sept. 26, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l amaeuto'c 4Z6 erZ dram 1p y 1 A. GRAMPP STARTING ANDLANDING DEVICE FOR AIRSHIPS OF THE LIGHTERTHAN-AIR TYPE Filed Sept. 26, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Elvweutoz Merl" 6 m1 11 May 26, 1931 1,806,939 STARTING AND LANDING DEVICE FOR AIRSHIPS OF THE LIGHTERTHANAIR TYPE A. GRAMPP Filed Sept. 26 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 A. GRAMPP 1,806,939

STARTING AND LANDING DEVICE FOR AIRSHIPS OF THE LIGHTER-THANAIR TYPE May 26, 1931.

Filed Sept. 26. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet .4

Ill! 1' III May 26, 1931.

A. GRAMPP 1,806,939

STARTING AND-LANDING DEVICE FOR AIRSHI PS OF THE LIGHTER-T HAN-AIR TYPE INVENTCR Albert 6122 m a a ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1931 PATENT OFFICE ALBERT GRAMPP, F CORONA, NEW YORK STARTING AND LANDING DEVICE. Ton AIRSHIPS OF THE LIGHTER THAN AIR TYPE Application filed September 26, 1929. Serial No. 395,342.

This invention relates to a novel landing and starting device for airships, preferably those of the Zeppelin type, and it is the principal object of my invention to provide a device for safely landing and starting an airship irrespective of the direction and,

strength of 'winds prevailing and without the necessity of employing numerous and specially trained landing crews.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a device of this character including mechanically operated means for preliminarily securing the landing cables of an airship of the lighter than air type .for holding it to the ground.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a landing and starting device. for buoyant airships comprising electro-mechanically operated means for drawg'g ing the airship onto its supports and hold ing it thereon.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a device of the aforedescribed type equipped with underground cars for safely guiding the airships and its supports into and out of its hangar.

A still further object of my invention is the provision ,of a device of this character equipped with means fordirecting the ship to assume a desired and proper position for starting its flight or for entering its hangar.

Further objects of my invention are the provision of a device for safely landing and starting an airship of the lighter than air type including means for guiding the holding cables duringtheir winding and un winding upon cable drums, of slots or grooves in the floor and ground to guide the posts carrying the supporting cradles and carriages holding said cradles equipped with wheels swiveling in all directions on the ground, and of fastening hooks allowing a sheltering of these hooks when not in use so as not to form obstructions on the ground in front of the hangar, means foroperating a turntable to swing the carriage into proper position'and means for locking the turntable in any of its adjusted positions.

These and other'objects of my. invention a material part .of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a hangar for 'airships and part of the airship landing and starting apparatus constructed according to my invention on a somewhat reduced scale. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the airship manipulating devices, partly above the ground, and partly below the same.

Fig. 8 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one of the underground cars.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the cable rollers seen in the direction of arrows 5-5 of Figure 4. l

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view of a plurality of landing gear hooks and their normal position.

As. illustrated, a hanger 10 of any well known construction is equipped with par allel pairwise arranged track grooves 11 in its floor leading from the hangar to the outside and converging there into single track grooves 12. M

It will be understood, that the hangar may be of any suitable size and that the track grooves may be arranged in any desired number.

Laterally disposed to the track grooves of each track elevated platforms 13 are provided from which stairs 14: lead to the floor of the hangar and to turnstiles 15 for exits 16.

The airship preferably of the Zeppelin type to be brought into the hangar and moved out of the same rests with its body in supports or cradles 17 on posts 18 erected at'the front and rear platforms 19, 20, of carriages 21 supported on wheels 22 journaled in the lower ends of swivel forks 23 of any well known construction allowing a turning of these wheelsin all directions on the soil or ground 24- Tunnels 25, 26, two for each track 11 are provided in the ground beneath the hangar and theplace in front of the same, and are each equlpped with ra 27,01 t e We l known ass 28 on which run the wheels 29 of cars 30 which will hereafter be more fully described.

Each car 30 carries on its roof 31 a vertical standard 32 extending through the track grooves 11 and supporting at its upper end a platform 33 on which is mounted a illll'11t?.bl 34 turning about a central post having the inner periphery of its outer rim 36 equipped with teeth 37 adapted to be engaged by the teeth of a gear 38 mounted on a shaft or spindle 39 having its upper end squared for the attachment of a suitable tool for rotating said gear to operate the turn-table. A dog or pawl 40 serves to brake and lock the gear in any of its adjusted positions.

Platform 33 carries near both of its ends drums 40, 41, rotatably mounted by means of their shafts 42 in suitable bearings 43.

One end of the shafts projects beyond the bearing 43 and carries a gear 44 in mesh with a gear 45 on the shaft 46 of an electric motor 47 of any desired type.

In rear of each drum 40, 41 a rod 48 is mounted having outer threads which are engaged by the inner threaded bore of a boss 49 having a forked finger 50 between the prongs of which the holding cables 51 are guided by means of which the airship is guided from and into the hangar, during their winding upon and unwinding from drums 40, 41.

he rods 48 are guided in bearings 52, and one of their ends extending beyond the bearing 52 is squared, as at 53 for the attachment of a tool.

The cars 30 are operated by suitable motors 54, and their posts 32 are provided with suitable upper guides 55 and lower guides 56 preventing a lifting of the cars 30 from the tracks by the buoyancy of the airship on cradles 17.

In order to hold the airship on the ground which has heretofore been done by manual power necessitating the training and employing of hundreds of men, I provide a plurality of hooks 57, (Figure 6) on levers 58 pivoted near their lower ends, as at 58, in a tunnel 59, and normally held parallel to the ground by means of balls 60 near the upper ends of the levers. A cat walk (31 is provided curved at the arc of a circle in front of the hangar and equipped with a grating 62 into the interstices of which the hooks can be sunk when not in use so as not to obstruct the ground.

The operation of my device will be entirely clear from the above description by simultaneous inspection of the drawings. When landing the airship throws out its landing cables fore and aft which are pref erably equipped with balls at their ends and then fastened to the hooks 57 with the balls engaging two adjoining hooks. Then the fastening cables 51 which are secured to suitable hooks provided for this purpose at the ships hull are paid out and the motors 47 are started to slowly wind the cables guided over the pulleys 51 upon the drums 40, 41., the guiding forks for said cables thereby executing a to and fro movement on their rods 48, until the ship is drawn down to rest with its hull on cradles 17 After turning the carriage 21 carrying the cradles into suitable position, on the platform 33, of cars 30 the motors of these cars are started to bring the ship into the hangar 10 with the posts 32 sliding in grooves 11.

When the ship is leaving the hangar, the motors 54 of cars 30 are started to bring the ship out of the hangar with the hull resting on cradles 17 and the posts 32 sliding in grooves 11 until it arrives on track 12. Then the ship is turned against the wind by properly switching the cars 30, the landing gear cables are secured to the hooks 57 and the guiding cables 51 released from the rollers. If now everything is ready for the start and the signal is given, the ships landing cables are released from the hooks, and the ship will be free to rise and be on its way.

It will be clear that I have produced an extremely useful and comparatively inexpensive device for safely landing and starting an airship of the lighter than air type enabling the airship to start and land irrespective of the direction and strength of the wind-prevailing at that time and doing away with the necessity to employ at all times a specially trained landing crew of several hundred men.

It will be understood that I have described and shown the preferred form of my device 7 as one example of the many possible ways to construct the same in praxis, and that I may make such changes in the general arrangement thereof and in the construction of its minor details within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention and the principles involved.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Starting and landing device for airships of the Zeppelin type, comprising a plurality of cradles supporting said ship while in the hangar and during its landing and starting manoeuvres, a carriage carrying posts supporting said cradles, a platform, a turntable thereon allowing a turning of said carriage, cradles and ship in a desired direction, underground electrically operated cars supporting said turntable and platform to move the same and the ship out of and into its hangar, electrically operated means on said platform for allowing a winding and unwinding of the ships holding cables thereon, and mechanically operated means for holding the ship preliminarily to its landing and starting operations.

2. A starting and landing device for airships of the lighter than air type, comprising a plurality of cradles supporting said ship while in its hangar, and during its landing and starting manoeuvres, a carriage carrying posts supporting said cradles, cable guiding means on said cradles, wheels swiveling in all directions supporting said carriage, a platform, underground electrically operated cars, posts on said cars extending through track grooves or slots and carrying said platform, a turntable on said platform allowing a turning of the carriage and ship in a desired direction, electrically controlled drums on said platform for winding and unwinding the holding cables of the ship guided over said pulleys, means for spinning said cables to and fro during the operation, and a cat-Walk in front of the hangar having a plurality of intersections, hooks adapted to engage into said intersections when not in use, levers to elevate said hooks over 7 the ground for fastening the preliminary landing and startingcables of the ship.

3. In a starting'and landing device for airships of the lighter than air type comprising a hangar having a plurality of track grooves or slots in its floor, a single track groove into which said other track grooves converge, a track groove at the are of a circle in front of the hangar, a turntable, and a cat-walk in front of said hangar, a grating in said cat walk, a plurality of hooks normally resting in the intersections of said grating, and operating levers to swing said hooks into operating position for allowing a fastening of the landing cables of the ship on said hooks preliminarily to landing or starting of the ship.

4:. In a starting and landing device for airships of the lighter than air type comprising underground tunnels, commun1cating track slots or grooves in the ground, electrically operated cars in said tunnels running on tracks, posts on said cars'extending above the ground through said track slots, and means for preventing a lifting of said cars from their tracks by the buoyancy of the airship.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 25th day of September, A. D. 1929.

ALBERT GRAMPP. 

